2nd year student in a PhD program and I'm hitting some major roadbumps. Questioning my academic career, research plans falling apart, and absentee advisor(s) are all contributing to the problem. Would quit in an instant, but some complications recently arose. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Feb 11, 2015 -
9 answers

Can you help me accept my limitations as a parent? My child is going through a rough period and I feel like I failed them. I am not going to give any specific examples because I am looking for more general info. So, I’m looking for ideas (books and articles are also welcome) on how to deal with the fact that I cannot protect my children from unhappiness. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Sep 29, 2014 -
18 answers

I moved back to North America after living abroad for four years to start a Masters program. I’m here now, it’s been three weeks and I feel alternatingly very unhappy, stressed and panicked about the choice that I’ve made, and I'm hoping for some of advice on how to proceed. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Sep 20, 2014 -
7 answers

This is my last semester of college, and there's a major project I haven't worked on for weeks. Parts of it are past due. Other people are counting on me. I feel paralyzed. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Apr 2, 2014 -
23 answers

It's 2014. How do I decide between internet application design and development or mobile application design and development school programs? Which has the better market? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Mar 19, 2014 -
14 answers

I'm in my second semester of a professional master's program at a top-10 program. I can keep up with the classwork, but I get really caught up in comparing myself to other people. It not only makes me feel horrible, it significantly takes away from me doing my work. I'm prone to depression and lots of social anxiety anyway (I do have a therapist, we haven't talked about the self-comparison as much), but am well-liked in my program. I'd say I'm about on par with other folks in my program in terms of accomplishments (some have much more, some do less), so my intense feelings of inadequacy are mostly unwarranted. However, when I hear people talking about doing things I'm not (eg working with professors more than me, getting fellowships), I feel absolutely terrible. What should I be doing or trying to do to knock it off? Mental hacks, philosophical approaches, practical tips all welcome, though I should say I understand intellectually that there will always be someone doing more than me and that's life.
posted by anonymous
on Jan 20, 2014 -
10 answers

I have volunteered to "coach" a high school trivia team that competes against other local schools. In order to make things a bit more official I thought we should have team shirts made. Most of the sports teams have some clever slogan or saying on the back which indicates how great they are at their chosen sport. My group of super-brainy students and I are having a hard time figuring out what our slogan should be. Obviously it must be school appropriate, but other than that we are very open to suggestions. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 15, 2014 -
26 answers

I currently work in software engineering (my background is in finance and computer science) and am thinking seriously about giving med school a stab. I'm less interested in getting into the reasons (though if you have comments on that I'm open to it), and more interested in advice and resources on making the transition. I feel terribly old to do this, but there's no time like the present, right?! [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 3, 2014 -
20 answers

I had a rough start to medical school academically. People keep telling me that if I "do well" here on out, it "shouldn't matter" in four years when I apply to the next stage in my training (residency). That's easy for them to say, but I need more perspective than that. I'm bothered that it could put a "ceiling" on what I might be able to achieve otherwise. Those who have experience with medical education and academics, please give me your thoughts! [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Dec 15, 2013 -
17 answers

At out wits' end - we have a very smart, very angry, very sad, strong-willed 6 year old who has decided that he is going to sleep until Christmas and that he is not going to school ever. Flurries of special snowflake details inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Dec 5, 2013 -
94 answers

My husband and I have been married 15 years and we have an 8-year-old daughter. She is incredibly intelligent and receives straight As in school. She participates in the gifted program and reads at a 6th grade level. She has always been an intense child -- one who feels emotions strongly. But after we moved about a year ago, things started to move up a notch and third grade has been very difficult. She has these meltdowns, usually over small things. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 21, 2013 -
47 answers

I am a student working on a term project with a group that has pretty much gone off the rails. We're probably not going to fail, but we will definitely be submitting a solidly (sub-)mediocre finished product, when I know that we could have done much better. As someone with somewhat perfectionist tendencies, how can I learn to let go and accept this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 8, 2013 -
8 answers

I've been at my non-profit position for 4.5 years. I am passionate and devoted to the work I do. They place where I work has allowed me grow as a professional and human being and I love my co workers.
The problem? I do not get paid enough. And I won't for a really long time. (pay freezes, money issues, etc.) So I'm going to grad school. The problem: Should I go now or later? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 20, 2013 -
6 answers

I'm a first-year masters student taking a course that is supposed to be the core curriculum of my discipline. My program is in systems ecology. I find myself increasingly frustrated with this professor and increasingly unable to hide it, and now he wants to "meet with me to talk about student-instructor dynamics". I need some help coming up with some strategies to deal with this professionally. Difficulty level: I'm a new graduate student, and he's the director of my program. The program is brand-new (just started spring semester of last year) and this is one of two core courses, both of which are taught by him. His course is so terrible that I'm considering transferring to another program within the university. Excruciating detail inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 1, 2013 -
45 answers

I'm about to finish a master's program and my grades are less than stellar. How big of an effect might this have on my employment prospects going forward, and what are some strategies to deal with this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Apr 25, 2013 -
6 answers

Science grad school application filter: I have informally (but explicitly) accepted a graduate assistant position (in conservation biology) at my current undergraduate institution. I am now having second thoughts and am wondering what, if anything, I should do about it. Help me, Hive Mind! I don't know what to do! [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 28, 2012 -
8 answers

I'm a 21 years old girly-girl going into my junior year of college. I had a 'simple' surgery in November go horribly awry, leaving me on bed-rest for weeks, and initially fully fecally incontinent. I had to leave the semester early to recuperate, and took the spring semester off, and haven't interacted with my peers since I left. I am supposed to start school again on Tuesday. I'm largely better, and certainly out of diapers. Unfortunately though, gas still passes through me totally freely, and I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of being flatulent in quiet classrooms and lectures, etc. The noise is my only concern. Does anyone have any suggestions for ways I can silence my gas? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Sep 3, 2012 -
24 answers

The other night, I met my Fiancee and we went out on a date. She is a wonderful person and I am madly in love with her. We've been together for less then a year but we're already planning a wedding next year. She wants to study abroad in out of the country the last semester of school (Spring). When I expressed concern that we wouldn't be as close when she got back as we are now, she said that If I'm concerned about that, we should NOT be getting married. What do you think?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jul 13, 2012 -
38 answers

What is an appropriate amount of clothes for a teenage girl? In specific, a teenage girl in a private school (but not a boarding school) that requires a uniform. How many changes of casual clothes should she have? How many changes of uniform? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Apr 23, 2012 -
22 answers

I was asked to leave my masters program, but given a written assurance that I could reapply to the program. Now, four years later, I'd like to approach them about coming back, but I have no idea how to do so--and of course there are major complicating issues involved that are entirely my fault. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Dec 12, 2011 -
21 answers

LifePlansFilter: I’m currently enrolled in graduate school in a masters of secondary education in art program. I enrolled as a way to explore my creativity in studio classes, and also as something to do during unusual life circumstances. Being in this program will continue to be an option for me for a limited time. Should I take the requisite courses I need to complete the program or should I keep taking whatever classes I want and drop out of the program when I leave? Many details within. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 16, 2011 -
5 answers

I'm really stressed about college right now. My grades are lower than ever (though not terribly low); I'm afraid I just can't do my major or that I'll disappoint my parents or just suck at school. What should my next steps be? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 13, 2011 -
14 answers

My girlfriend's finishing grad school, and is beginning her job hunt. How can I best help her cope with the stress? She's smart, capable and graduating from a top 5 school, but she's generally negative and I think her fear of being unemployed is heightened by the fact that she had an unsuccessful job search at the end of her BSc, and by the pressure put on her by her family. Plus, since I've got a job in her desired field, it makes it harder for me to relate to what she's going through.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Sep 25, 2011 -
7 answers

I got a kitten. The kitten is not allowed to live with me in the family-owned house I stay in during the school year. Do I give up on being a cat momma and leave my kitten at my parents' house? Or do I go for broke and find my own place? The easy route is galling, but the hard route looks HARD. I'm not sure whether I should swallow my pride or man up. [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Aug 8, 2011 -
21 answers

I'm in the process of looking at graduate schools in philosophy, which is a difficult task when trying to match up my niche specialty with potential professors. I've been able to track down five different professors, but I was wondering if it would be rude to ask if they had any suggestions on where/who to look. I'm located in the United States, but this academic community is 99% located outside of here, and browsing the associated journals and conferences hasn't been too helpful because the names I'm coming across are graduate students and names that aren't popping up on Google.
posted by anonymous
on Jan 19, 2011 -
14 answers

How do I tell the difference between the real world demand and what's essentially career marketing by schools with programs preparing students for healthcare careers? [more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Nov 19, 2010 -
11 answers

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